Preparation and Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Prunus armeniaca Seed Extract Enhanced with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Chitosan Coating Against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Iman Biram  Abdullah; Saygin  Mohammed   Nouri

doi:10.17605/cajmns.v6i4.2857

Iman Biram Abdullah Department of physics , College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq
Saygin Mohammed Nouri Department of physics , College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/cajmns.v6i4.2857

Keywords: Prunus armeniaca, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Plant extraction, Fe3O4

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of Prunus armeniaca (apricot) seed extract, both alone and in combination with iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) and chitosan coating, against two pathogenic bacterial strains: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The extract was prepared using a Soxhlet extraction method with hot water, and nanoparticles were synthesized via co-precipitation and coated with chitosan to improve stability and bioactivity. Characterization was performed using XRD, SEM, TEM, zeta potential, and zeta sizer techniques. Results revealed the formation of nanoscale composites with improved physicochemical properties. The disc diffusion method showed that the antibacterial activity increased progressively from the extract alone, to Fe₃O₄ NPs, and finally to the chitosan-coated formulation. The enhanced inhibition is attributed to the synergistic effect of bioactive compounds (e.g., amygdalin, phenolics) and the physicochemical interaction between the nanoparticles and bacterial membranes. These findings suggest that the nanoformulation has promising potential as an effective antimicrobial agent.

References

H. D. Beyene, A. A. Werkneh, H. K. Bezabh, and T. G. Ambaye, “Synthesis paradigm and applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), a review,” Sustain. Mater. Technol., vol. 13, pp. 18–23, 2017.

S. S. Mirsasaani, M. Hemati, E. S. Dehkord, G. T. Yazdi, and D. A. Poshtiri, “Nanotechnology and nanobiomaterials in dentistry,” in Elsevier eBooks, pp. 19–37, 2019.

S. Ashrafi-Saiedlou, M. Rasouli-Sadaghiani, M. Fattahi, and Y. Ghosta, “Biosynthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles fabricated using cell-free supernatant of Pseudomonas fluorescens for antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and photocatalytic applications,” Sci. Rep., vol. 15, no. 1, 2025.

A. Abubakar and M. Haque, “Preparation of medicinal plants: Basic extraction and fractionation procedures for experimental purposes,” J. Pharm. Bioall. Sci., vol. 12, no. 1, p. 1, 2020.

N. S. Gupta, N. M. Chhajed, N. S. Arora, G. Thakur, and R. Gupta, “Medicinal value of apricot: a review,” Indian J. Pharm. Sci., vol. 80, no. 5, 2018.

S. Z. Hussain, B. Naseer, T. Qadri, T. Fatima, and T. A. Bhat, “Apricots (Prunus Armeniaca)—Morphology, taxonomy, composition and health benefits,” in Springer eBooks, pp. 91–102, 2021.

M. Nikzamir, A. Akbarzadeh, and Y. Panahi, “An overview on nanoparticles used in biomedicine and their cytotoxicity,” J. Drug Deliv. Sci. Technol., vol. 61, p. 102316, 2020.

M. González-Béjar, L. Francés-Soriano, and J. Pérez-Prieto, “Upconversion nanoparticles for bioimaging and regenerative medicine,” Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., vol. 4, 2016.

K. P. Ingle et al., “Phytochemicals: Extraction methods, identification and detection of bioactive compounds from plant extracts,” J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 32–36, 2017.

A. Gupta and M. Gupta, “Synthesis and surface engineering of iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications,” Biomaterials, vol. 26, pp. 3995–4021, 2005.

X. Jiang, L. Li, Y. Zhu, and Z. Tang, “Synthesis and magnetic characterizations of uniform iron oxide nanoparticles,” Phys. B Condens. Matter., vol. 443, pp. 1–5, 2014.

E. Matuschek, D. F. J. Brown, and G. Kahlmeter, “Development of the EUCAST disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing method and its implementation in routine microbiology laboratories,” Clin. Microbiol. Infect., vol. 20, pp. O255–O266, 2014.

V. J. Sundar, C. Muralidharan, and A. B. Mandal, “Eco-benign stabilization of skin protein—role of Jatropha curcas oil as a co-tanning agent,” Ind. Crops Prod., vol. 47, pp. 227–231, 2013.

P. Dutta, K. Rinki, and J. Dutta, “Chitosan: A promising biomaterial for tissue engineering scaffolds,” in Chitosan for Biomaterials II, pp. 45–79, 2011.

S. O. Ogunyemi et al., “Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using different plant extracts and their antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae,” Artif. Cells Nanomed. Biotechnol., vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 341–352, 2019.

S. M. Ahmed, H. S. Akbar, and A. H. Al-Mashhadani, “Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of bio-synthesized Al-Hanaa nanoparticles,” Iraqi J. Appl. Phys., vol. 20, no. 2A, pp. 291–296, 2024.

S. Bhattacharjee, “DLS and zeta potential–what they are and what they are not?,” J. Control. Release, vol. 235, pp. 337–351, 2016.

A. H. Fathallah, H. S. Akbar, and F. M. N. Al-Deen, “Preparation and characterization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4) for biological applications,” Tikrit J. Pure Sci., vol. 26, no. 1, 2021.

M. Arakha et al., “Antimicrobial activity of iron oxide nanoparticle upon modulation of nanoparticle-bacteria interface,” Sci. Rep., vol. 5, p. 14813, 2015.

S. Ashrafi-Saiedlou, M. Rasouli-Sadaghiani, M. Fattahi, et al., “Biosynthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles fabricated using cell-free supernatant of Pseudomonas fluorescens for antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and photocatalytic applications,” Sci. Rep., vol. 15, p. 1018, 2025.

S. Faisal et al., “Tailoring the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of iron nanoparticles with amino benzoic acid,” Dept. of Chemistry, Univ. of Malakand, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA06756G